Learning from Israel

Possible conclusion: Military killing of civilians is permissible as long as it is accompanied by an investigation.

Israeli sunbathers felt so threatened by the impending arrival of aid to Gaza in May 2010 that they organized a 16-boat protest against the flotilla, complete with banner depicting the Turkish prime minister (Photo: Reuters)

(ISTANBUL) - With the release of the first part of the report from its investigation into the May 2010 attack on the humanitarian aid flotilla en route to Gaza—in which nine Turkish activists were murdered by IDF commandos—the Israeli Turkel Commission has underscored Israel’s capacity for democratic introspection.

The commission’s findings include that the commandos in question acted in self-defense and that the Israeli blockade of Gaza is not in contravention of international law. According to Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, the report proves that Israel is “a law-abiding country”.

I’ve made a short list of ideas for possible commissions in other countries interested in attaining a similar status:

1. The United States.

Commission to investigate inordinate number of civilian casualties of U.S. drone attacks on Pakistan.

Possible conclusion: Drones were acting in self-defense.

2. Colombia.

Commission to investigate the “false positives” phenomenon during the administration of Alvaro Uribe, in which members of the Colombian army—reportedly in thousands of instances—murdered civilians and then disguised the corpses as FARC guerrillas in order to receive bonuses and additional vacation time.

Possible conclusion: Military killing of civilians is permissible as long as it is accompanied by an investigation.

3. Peru.

Commission to investigate the 2009 massacre by Peruvian police of indigenous protesters opposed to the exploitation of local resources by multinationals. President Alan García reportedly accused the indigenous of committing genocide against the Peruvian police force, instead.

Possible conclusion: Police are an endangered ethnic group.

4. Tunisia.

Commission to investigate the killing of scores of citizens protesting the regime of Zein al-Abidine Ben Ali.

Possible conclusion: Protesters would have killed themselves anyway via self-immolation.

***

The Palestinian Authority is meanwhile advised to experiment with new tactics— aside from ceding critical portions of Jerusalem—to seduce the Israelis. Perhaps a Palestinian Turkel Commission to determine that Gaza provoked the humanitarian aid flotilla by requiring humanitarian aid?

Belén is co-editor at Pulse Media. Her articles also have appeared in CounterPunch, Narco News, Palestine Chronicle, Palestine Think Tank, Rebelión, Tlaxcala, The Electronic Intifada, Upside Down World, and Venezuelanalysis.com. Her book “Coffee with Hezbollah,” a humorous political travelogue chronicling her hitchhiking trip through Lebanon in the aftermath of the 2006 Israeli assault, is available at Amazon, Amazon UK, and Barnes and Noble.

Born in Washington, DC, in 1982, Belén earned her bachelor's degree with a concentration in political science from Columbia University in New York City. Her diverse background of worldwide experiences, created a fantastic writer; one whose work we are extremely happy to share with Salem-News.com viewers. You can contact Belén at: belengarciabernal@gmail.com

Pictures from Afghanistan by Tim King: View Photos From Tim King's time in Afghanistan | More Afghanistan War photos

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